In Magistrates Court this morning [Apr 24] Carlton Simmons pleaded not guilty to not taking down a fence after he been directed to do so by the Minister for the Environment & Planning.

The details of the charge were that he had allegedly erected a gate. In October 2012, the Minister sent a letter directing him to remove the gate, which had not been done resulting in the unlawful restriction of that right-of-way.

Magistrate Tokunbo set trial for July and granted Mr Simmons — a City of Hamilton Alderman — bail of $1,000.

I agree with reader the act needs more teeth if it is going to really discourage would be offenders.I wonder what took planning so long to deal with this. Not only did he erect the gates he completely prevented people from gaining access to their property blocking a right away that was established long before Mr. Simmons was even born!

It’s not worth the head ache. Trust me I have been down that part of the Ocean acting like a big fish because I was in the right! Yea I slapped the $hAT out of the guy like he was a catfish after he tried to bully his way and swim in my tank. Then the punk fish called the police on me. I had to get a shark lawyer which cost me a few fish heads. Between Court dates and lawyers I wished that I would have just stay in my school and mind my own SEA Fox business.

Let the police deal with the matter. Trust me it was not worth the Deep Blue Sea.

REALLY A FENCE PEOPLE? THIS MAKES THE NEWS? Like you said the big fish do it all the time and with much larger structures and this is the case which makes the paper? Mr. Simmons you better watch out someone is out for your HEAD.